Many-Worlds Theory
by Monochromatic Kamui
Summary: A collection of separate, non-chronological stories within the worlds of Devil Survivor: Overclocked and Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker, featuring multiple AUs and varying OCs.
1. Twin I

**A/N: I had been replaying Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker to gain some inspiration for my first fanfiction "New Possibilities," but I ended up wanting to write about some OCs. Well, here it is.**

* * *

 ** _01-1: Amaya Kuze_**

Amaya had no idea how she ended up in the current situation.

"Be good and be sure to study hard."

Honestly, she had resigned herself to her fate when nothing had changed after three months.

"Make sure you listen to your teacher, OK? I don't want to be called in from work because you're causing trouble."

And now, she was entering her first day at school, a.k.a. kindergarten, in the world of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2, as Hibiki Kuze's twin sister.

Amaya gave a silent nod while her brother mumbled a soft "okay" to show understanding.

Their mother smiled slightly, almost invisible to the naked eye, and gave both of them a pat on the head before walking away, not sparing a single glance back.

"Let's go," Amaya said to her brother, who was grasping her sleeve tightly, and walked towards the mass of children surrounding a young woman.

Amaya had always believed in reincarnation. She just hadn't expected it to happen to her, and with all her memories to boot. Accepting that she had been reborn was the easy part; accepting the fact she had been reborn into a video game took a little more time.

Glancing at the boy at her side, she quietly studied him in contemplation. Hibiki's face showed awe as he stared at the other children, his eyes darting between faces. Only seconds later did the nervousness bubble up and he quickly stared down at the ground, his fists around her sleeve growing tighter.

Hibiki was a shy child in his early years, more so than what Amaya had expected. She could faintly recall from the Animation that Hibiki was written that way in his back story, and that he was bullied in school. In fact, didn't Daichi save Hibiki from the bullies, thus forming a beautiful friendship between the two of them?

No matter, Amaya didn't know how much she could rely on the game and the Animation. Furthermore, which storyline was this world following? If she could recall properly, the overall plot was the same between the two, but there were still a few noticeable differences. For one, Hibiki had summoned Byakko off the bat in the Animation, but was forced to start from the bottom in the game. Secondly, people were dependant on demons in the Animation, but in the game, app users could use skills to fight without completely relying on their demons.

And the most important of all, Hibiki's life had seemed to be in more jeopardy in the Animation compared to the game. Like hell she was going to let Hibiki die.

Feeling a tug on her sleeve, her mind zoomed into focus and her eyes met her twin's. Hibiki beamed at her with a smile that seemed to light up his entire face, and she quickly averted her eyes. Fighting to keep the blush down, she cursed at whatever entity out there.

God, how could Hibiki be so cute.

"Alright, children! I'd like your full attention, please!" The adult clapped her hands two times, and the rambunctious children slowly quieted down.

She smiled widely as her eyes purposely met contact with her students' eyes. Some unconsciously smiled back; some did not, but the overall ambience was much calmer and warmer than it had been only minutes ago.

"My name is Ms. Aki and I will be your teacher for the year. I'm happy to welcome you all to your first day of school! Now follow me; I'm going to show you how to get to our classroom so that you all don't get lost in the future."

Obediently, every child stayed close to Ms. Aki just like how ducklings would waddle after their mother. After entering the classroom, Ms. Aki gave further instructions, and everyone ran to varying tables to find a seat. Amaya quickly followed suit and pulled Hibiki along to the nearest table that still had two seats available.

The following activities were fairly standard kindergarten affairs. Ms. Aki first listed the rules of the classroom, which were then followed by a multitude of activities: a name game to introduce students to each other, a good half hour of 'reading time' followed by an hour of 'nap time.' Then, some time was spent practicing _hiragana_.

Amaya sighed in her mind. She had been nineteen before she had ultimately died and then been reborn. One would think that with her advanced mental state, she would find kindergarten mind-numbingly boring, but it was quite the opposite. In her past life, she had not been a Japanese citizen, neither had she even known how to speak Japanese, much less read and write it. In other words, Amaya was struggling to absorb new information when her mind was still fixated on English, her dominant language in her previous life.

"Are you okay?" Hibiki asked after Ms. Aki had released everyone for recess.

With parents that were always busy with work, it had been Hibiki who was unknowingly teaching her the Japanese language. He was her constant conversation partner.

"I'm fine," she replied after a stretch of silence.

Growing up in the Kuze household, the twins were quiet children. Hibiki was often silent due his shyness. Amaya's circumstance was a little more complicated. She barely spoke partially because she still hadn't gotten a good grasp of the language, partially because knowing that this was her second life left her often perplexed, and partially because she had always been a reserved person, even in her past life.

Their parents' absence in their life, Hibiki's insecurity, and Amaya's feelings of misplacement in a different world were all reasons for the twins' dependency on each other. This dependency brought the two of them closer than ever, and their relationship tighter than ever.

"I'm going to the washroom," Amaya informed her brother, who nodded reluctantly. He didn't want to separate from the only person familiar in this unknown place, but he knew that he had no need to go himself, so he could not accompany his twin or prevent her from going.

Hibiki watched her ask the teacher for permission before she left the classroom. All he could do was wait patiently for her return. Unfortunately, it was not going to turn out as he hoped.

Noticing a few presences beside him, Hibiki looked up in trepidation and presented a wobbly smile. "Um… hi…?"

* * *

Analyzing the scene, Amaya couldn't understand how this had happened. She was gone for only seven minutes to relieve herself, so how had things escalated so far?

She saw how a group of three boys surrounded her twin brother, and how Hibiki seemed to curl up with every word that left their mouths. Why on earth were a bunch of kids bullying another kid so early in their life? It was only the first day of kindergarten; what good reason could they possibly have?

Amaya looked around the classroom, noting how other classmates did nothing to help, and finally found Ms. Aki out in the courtyard with some of the other children. She could go and get the teacher to deal with the problem, but seeing Hibiki's pitiful state; Amaya steeled herself and marched right in the middle of the thick of it.

"What are you doing?" she asked defensively as she stood between her brother and his tormentors.

Hibiki, with tears threatening to spill from his eyes, looked assuaged by her appearance and he immediately latched on to her.

The three boys looked from her to her twin, quickly comparing their similar appearances.

"Having your sister save you?" the obvious ringleader asked in a derisive tone of voice. "What do you think _you_ can do?" he asked Amaya, "you're a _girl_."

Amaya leveled him with a flat, unimpressed stare, and he fidgeted at the weight of that single look. She would never understand how boys at that age thought that being a girl was an insult.

"L-leave them alone!"

That was when all chaos ensued.

Hibiki and Amaya watched in surprise and slight alarm as a small boy with brown hair smashed into the ringleader where they both crashed into the ground. Sounds of shrieks filled the air and then a loud shout of "teacher!" was followed by the pounding of feet.

As the bully had a larger frame, he quickly got the advantage and pinned the smaller boy under him. Ignoring the bully's two followers who didn't seem to know what to do, Amaya rushed forward, unceremoniously yanking Hibiki, who was still firmly attached, along with her when the bully raised a fist.

"Stop it!" Amaya yelled, grabbing the arm with all her might to prevent him from punching the boy beneath him.

"What is going on here!?"

At that authoritative voice, everyone froze and the entire classroom became soundless with the exception of heavy breathing coming from the small boy underneath the bully. All eyes laid on Ms. Aki who had a thunderous expression on her face. Her angel-like persona from before almost seemed like an illusion.

"Amaya, release that arm! And Itsuo! Get off that boy!"

Amaya let go as though she had been burned and the bully, now named Itsuo, slowly stood up. The boy underneath him breathed out and also stood up, albeit shakily.

Ms. Aki took deep breath before speaking in a calmer tone, "Now, I want someone to tell me exactly what happened here."

Itsuo immediately raised his voice, but the teacher shook her head. "Not you, Itsuo. Someone who was not involved, but was watching what happened."

"It's all Itsuo's fault!" one of the bystanders called out and then pointed to the two other bullies, "those three were bullying Hibiki!"

Another voice spoke up in agreement, "Then Amaya came and tried to protect her brother."

A second pointer finger towards the small, brown-haired boy was followed by a lengthy explanation, "he slammed into Itsuo to save them, but Itsuo's bigger and stronger, so he quickly lost and was about get hit, but Amaya grabbed Itsuo's arm to stop him. Then you came, Ms. Aki."

Having gotten a hold of the situation, she sighed. "Alright. Itsuo, come with me."

"B-but what about them?" Itsuo protested angrily, feeling unfairness in their teacher's action.

"Everyone involved will be punished accordingly," Ms. Aki said, "In addition, I'll be phoning all of your parents. But right now, I want to talk to you first, Itsuo. There's no need to worry about the others."

After telling Amaya and the others not to move, the surrounding crowd of uninvolved children dispersed, and the two bullies that were with Itsuo moved a table away from the three of them.

"Thank you… for saving us," Hibiki spoke up first in the silence towards the brown-haired boy.

"Are you hurt?" Amaya asked, right after her brother.

"I-I'm fine," he replied to the both of them, "You don't have to thank me. It was wrong for them to bully you and no one else tried to help you, so I got mad."

Scrutinizing their 'savior,' Amaya thought that he looked somewhat familiar. Did they sit at the same table before recess or something?

In a surprising burst of confidence, Hibiki introduced themselves, "I'm Hibiki Kuze. That's my twin sister, Amaya."

The boy smiled, happy to have made new friends. "I'm Daichi Shijima!"

Oh. That's why he was so familiar.


	2. Little Sister I

**_02-1: Izumi Hotsuin_**

Softer and more feminine, but still demanding. "Izumi."

Deeper and more masculine, and full of expectation. "Izumi."

Looking back and forth between her two elder siblings, who seemed to be glaring at each other even though their eyes never strayed off of her, Izumi wanted to suddenly turn invisible. Or, at least, she wanted to be anywhere but _here_.

"I will repeat myself one more time: I require Izumi's aid in modifying the special terminal in the Sky Tower," Miyako Hotsuin declared with her arms crossed.

"Izumi's talents are better suited to finding a way to deal with Canopus and the Administrators," Yamato Hotsuin countered, his glare not any less frightening than his counterpart, "don't try to trick my sister, you vixen."

At his accusation, Miyako's lips curled upwards. "If you recall, Izumi is my little sister in this world. Not yours."

Yamato sneered in response. "Only because I had stayed in the Akasha Stratum to prevent Hibiki's data from being destroyed. Izumi has been my sister since the first world, which far precedes this one. Don't try to delude yourself into thinking that she would be so easily swayed to your side."

Daichi hesitantly spoke up from the audience who did not dare interrupt their argument, "C'mon, Yamato, Miyako-chan. Izumi's the little sister to both of you. I mean, there's no need to argue about this… right?"

Izumi looked at Daichi with hidden hope, only for it to be promptly crushed a second later.

When the two Hotsuin's redirected their cold gazes, Daichi flinched in fear and started to regret opening his mouth.

"Please refrain from inserting yourself into conversations that do not involve you, Mr. Shijima," Miyako replied with curtness.

"I don't recall asking for your input, Shijima," Yamato stated sharply at the same time.

"Sorry!" Daichi apologized quickly before he began to babble due to nervousness, "God, I'm such an idiot! What was I even saying…? Yep…! Me and my big mouth… That's me… Idiot Daichi…An idi – Mmmmph…!"

Joe laughed his usual laugh to diffuse the tension, as his hand was placed on top of Daichi's mouth. "Yeah… Just ignore this guy. He's a little sleep deprived, you know?"

Thanks to his swift save, Daichi was no longer under scrutiny, and Miyako and Yamato were once again focused on each other, completely ignoring everyone else.

"I really thought I was going to die!" Daichi exclaimed to the others in a loud whisper, "I swear that was scarier than any Septentrione or Triangulum we've faced!"

Hibiki place a hand on his best friend's shoulder in reassurance.

"What were you thinking?" Airi asked in stupefaction. "Butting into _that_ is like asking for a death wish!"

"Actually," Makoto spoke up, as she watched the two Chief's closely. "This is the first time I've ever seen either Chief so… irritated."

"It's only natural," Fumi said, adding her own two cents into the conversation, "Chief Miyako actually spoils Izumi in this world, while Chief Yamato practically raised her to follow his footsteps. They don't exactly approve of how the other is treating their easily-influenced little sister."

Otome smiled happily, unconcerned by the mounting tension in the room. "Family love is a wonderful thing, isn't it?"

Trying not to pay attention to the not-so-subtle whispers, Izumi frantically searched her mind for a solution, or better yet, an escape route.

"Well then, shall we ask for her opinion, brother? I believe it would be a fitting conclusion to this discussion," Miyako proposed to the other Chief of JP's.

"Very well," Yamato acceded before calling out to the main subject, "Izumi."

Snapping back to the real world, Izumi's back straightened out of habit, and she looked towards her older brother. She skillfully cleared her face to hide her innermost emotions, leaving only pure curiosity plain for anyone to see. "Yes, Onii-san?"

"You have two choices: aid the vixen in modifying the terminal or join me to determine a countermeasure against Canopus and the Administrators."

Izumi was reluctant to choose either option. Basically, she was being asked to choose between her Onii-san or her Onee-san; Yamato or Miyako.

When she had recovered her memories of the first world thanks to Hibiki and the others, she knew that things had gotten more complicated. There was no way her older brother and sister would not get along. That didn't stop her from wishing, though. Unfortunately, what she wanted didn't reflect on the world considering that Yamato hated Miyako's entire existence from their very first meeting, and that Miyako gladly returned that hatred with ten times more acidity.

"There's no need to feel pressured," Miyako encouraged her little sister, "Choose comfortably. I'm sure you know what choice you need to choose."

Izumi felt more burdened by her older sister's words. Why did it feel like she was about to make a life-changing decision? Izumi was only twelve years old! She loved both of her older siblings, so why did she have to choose one of them?

Feeling cornered, Izumi's eyes wandered around the room. Looking beyond her two siblings, she found Alcor, who only smiled mysteriously and made no move to intervene. Seeing as no one would help her, Izumi could hear a voice, sounding very similar to her brother's, at the back her mind. _Pathetic_.

That's right. She was a Hotsuin. She couldn't expect anyone to help her. Just as her brother taught her, she needed to take matters into her own hands. Simply waiting for aid without doing anything herself meant that she was _weak_. Izumi was not weak; she didn't want to be weak.

"Actually," Izumi spoke up, as she walked towards them. Contrary to their expectations, she passed them to reach the others who had been simply watching the commotion.

To Hibiki's surprise, and the surprise of everyone else, she linked her arms with his in one swift movement. "I'm sorry, Onii-san and Onee-san. I've already agreed to accompany Hibiki-nii-chan, so I'll be helping him out for now."

Without waiting for her brother's and sister's responses, Izumi pulled Hibiki away from the group, and ultimately away from the ticking time bomb.

"Sorry for involving you, Hibiki-nii-chan," Izumi apologized once she had deemed they were far enough away from her overbearing siblings.

Hibiki smiled in resignation. "It's not the first time."

"Still," he continued, "You do know that I'm also supposed to find a way to deal with Canopus and the Administrators, right? Doesn't that mean you chose Yamato in the end?"

Izumi shook her head in disagreement. "I did choose Onii-san's responsibility over Onee-san's responsibility, but I didn't choose Onii-san over Onee-san. After all, Onii-san's responsibility is also the responsibility of everyone else except for Onee-san and Alcor, who are working on the terminal."

To Izumi, Hibiki was God-sent. Thanks to him, she could safely leave all kinds of sticky situations. It didn't hurt that he was favored by both of her elder siblings either. If it had been anyone else, Yamato and Miyako would have definitely not been satisfied by her decision. But it _was_ Hibiki after all, so they wouldn't say anything more on the subject.

Izumi looked at her pseudo third elder sibling, who she had started calling 'Onii-chan' since the Septentrione attacks. "Should we wait for Daichi, Io, and Joe to catch up?"

* * *

 **A/N: After looking over this chapter, I can't help but feel like it's a little silly. It's silly, but it's also entertaining. Seriously though, overprotective and possessive siblings; Yamato and Miyako? How did that idea ever get in my head?**

 **I try not to add Japanese terms in my fanfictions, but I've purposely added 'Onii-san' 'Onee-san' and 'Onii-chan' to show how Izumi chooses Hibiki in the end; her third sibling not related by blood.**


	3. Mother I

**_03-1: Miyu Minegishi_**

Miyu Harada was born on a rainy night in the month of July at twelve o'clock sharp. To a couple who could not conceive their own child, she became their newfound joy and hope.

Raised with overflowing love and care, Miyu grew to be an obedient child. She followed her father's every word, aided her mother with chores around the house, frequently helped the old lady across the street with her grocery shopping, and never declined a request she could fulfill. She returned discourtesy with kindness for that was what was expected of her.

In the eyes of those around her, Miyu was the ideal daughter; polite, generous, honest and modest. But unbeknownst to anyone, Miyu secretly longed to rebel against the ones who held power over her. She wanted to feel the exhilaration that came from breaking rules. She desired to do something against her character and act against the morals that had long since been engrained in her. She dreamed of adventure and action. She wished to express herself. She hoped to make her own choices and decisions. She yearned for freedom.

When Miyu entered her first year in high school, the temptation for change was greater than ever. Meeting a group of fellow students, Miyu was attracted to their unique individuality and their devil-may-care attitudes. She quickly found herself with new friends – bad influences, her mother would later tell her in the future – and began to notice differences in her daily life. Time spent studying slowly shifted to missed school days and lower grades on tests. The smallest of misconducts that she had never dared to execute before, such as littering at public parks, provided a feeling of twisted elation. To the old Miyu who never did anything reckless, the new Miyu was eager to leave her footprint on the world, even going so far as to try her first smoke.

A tale of lies was spun to keep her parents in the dark before everything fell apart. When one lie was discovered, the others quickly followed. The truth was bare for all to see. Her father was furious, her mother disappointed. But what grieved Miyu the most was that her parents no longer trusted her the same. She had lost the unconditional faith they used to place in her when she was still a child.

Following a seven month grounding with no internet or phone, Miyu cut all ties with her friends and never touched a cigarette again for the rest of her life. She jumped back into her studies and threw away her foolish yearnings, ending her uneventful days peacefully for the next several years.

It was at the age of twenty-five that Miyu met the man she would one day spend the rest of her life with. Nineteen months later, naïve Miyu Harada became the newly wedded Miyu Minegishi and was blessed with a child only twenty days after the wedding.

On the thirty first day of August, Kazuya Minegishi was quietly brought into the world.


	4. Mother II

**_03-2: Miyu Minegishi_**

Miyu swiftly packed the thick books into a cardboard box. Among them were several educational textbooks explaining the concepts of programming. The rest were literature based on mythologies; their covers depicting gruesome monsters or inhumanly beautiful individuals with wings. It was unusual to see such different genres paired together.

Even though the spacious room did not originally hold many items, only containing the bare minimum with some extra equipment like the large laptop sitting on top of the wooden desk, it was slowly becoming even emptier as time passed.

"Are you sure you want to move out?" Miyu asked. It was her fourth time asking and despite receiving the same answer every time, she continued to repeat herself like a broken record.

Miyu could still remember the day her nephew came to live with her family after his parents had passed away. He had been a perceptive child, but now, he was already a young adult at the prime age of twenty, ready to go out into the world on his own.

"Quite sure," Naoya replied in a serene manner. "I've been dependant on you for the past ten years. I can't keep living off of you forever, Aunt Miyu."

"I wouldn't mind it if you lived here forever," she told him in hopes that he would change his mind.

"Ha… No matter how enticing your offer is," Naoya said, seeing though her motives with a single glance, "I've already payed the rent for the apartment in Aoyama for the next six months. I need to move in within two days."

Miyu huffed in exasperation. She was very familiar with his quirks. "You always get things done so quickly once you've made up your mind. You haven't even told Kazuya that you're moving out yet. I doubt his reaction will be any better than mine when you told me yesterday."

Recalling her startled shriek when the cup slipped from her hands and shattered onto the ground, the corners of Naoya's lips lifted up in amusement. "Don't worry about it," he assured his aunt, "I'll tell him today when he returns from school."

"You better," she grumbled before releasing a sigh, "I'll feel lonely without you in the house."

"Uncle and Kazuya still lived here the last time I checked," Naoya pointed out with a placid tone.

"I know that. But you've lived with us for so long. I don't even remember what life was like before you came into our lives."

Naoya gave a noncommittal hum as he taped the last cardboard box shut. Turning to face the woman who raised him, he brought up a completely random topic, "Do you know what your name means?"

"Of course," Miyu replied immediately, undeterred by the sudden shift in topic, " _Mi_ for beautiful and _Yu_ for evening. It's written as 'beautiful evening'."

"Do you remember the day we met at my parents' funeral?" Naoya inquired, continuing on without waiting for an answer, "The moment I laid eyes on you, I thought I was dreaming. I thought that He was mocking me… Showing me a piece of my old life; the life I treasure above all others."

"Naoya…?" Miyu called out to him in bewilderment. There were times when Naoya never made any sense. He would speak as though he was much older than he actually was. He would seem wiser, but would also sound more tired. A delicate combination of sorrow and hatred could always be detected in his voice.

"But I could see and hear you. Your touch was warm and familiar…" Naoya trailed off, his eyes distant as though he was lost in thought.

Returning back to reality, Naoya suddenly referred to her name once again, "A metonym to evening is eve."

Unsure of why he was throwing out a trivial piece of information, Miyu could not find the connection between her name and Naoya's words. Although her head told her that there was no connection between the two, a feeling deep within her said otherwise. It was important, but Miyu didn't know why or how it was important.

"Mother."

Miyu's eyes widened in surprise. It was not the first time, but it was rare of Naoya to call her with such an endearment.

With cold determination on his face, Naoya vowed to her, "For you and for my brother… I will not fail. I will see to it that my wish comes to fruition and soon… We will finally be free from His shackles."

* * *

 **A/N: In conclusion, Miyu Minegishi is the reincarnation of Eve, Cain and Abel's mother. Similar to Kazuya, she has no memory of her previous life/lives.**

 **The previous chapter was written to include some comparisons to the Eve in the Bible: Miyu was obedient to her parents, Eve was obedient to God. Miyu was tempted by her desires, Eve was tempted by the devil. Miyu went against her parents and did some things that her parents didn't approve of, Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge. Miyu lost her parent's faith, Eve was cast out of the Garden of Eden. And so on.**


	5. Mother III

**_03-3: Miyu Minegishi_**

"Why don't you spend some quality time with Naoya?" Miyu suggested to her husband, as she poured the beaten egg mixture into the frying pan, "Naoya and Kazuya are already so close to each other. Sometimes I forget that they're cousins. They act just like brothers, you know."

It had been three months since Naoya became a part of their family. On that day, Miyu decided that even if she couldn't replace her sister-in-law, she would still become Naoya's second mother. She would treat him the same as Kazuya. She would give him love. The moment Naoya entered their family, he became her eldest son.

To her relief and eternal delight, Naoya took an immediate liking to Kazuya. There were times when he would stare at his cousin for long periods of time, but otherwise, he took great care of Kazuya. Likewise, Kazuya loved Naoya very much. He clung to him whenever he could and constantly called him 'big brother.' Naoya would always look at Kazuya with fondness whenever he heard that.

Her husband, on the other hand, didn't have a close relationship with Naoya as she and Kazuya did. He was often busy with work and when he was not, Naoya was already playing with Kazuya or helping Miyu with chores. There was never a chance for them to spend any time together.

"I've never seen Kazuya be so lively before. I'm glad we took him in," her husband commented in his place at the dining table, "I'm also relieved to see that Naoya has been coping well since his parents' death."

Miyu added the already cut green onions to the scrambled eggs before finally putting the leftover rice from yesterday into the pan. "So?" she questioned, not allowing him to escape the main subject of the conversation, "Are you going to spend some time with him?"

"What should I do with him?" he asked in return. Even though they were uncle and nephew, living in the same house, they were still like strangers to each other. "What should I even talk to him about?"

Bringing the plates over to the dining table, Miyu expertly set the table. She hummed in contemplation as she filled each plate with food. "Maybe you could get Naoya interested in computers since you work as a computer engineer. Naoya's been spending most of his time with Kazuya, and he doesn't seem to have any hobbies or likes of his own."

"Talking about my job might be too complicated for him," her husband responded without any deep thought. If Naoya was older, then perhaps…

"Naoya's a smart child," Miyu refuted with conviction, "I'm positive that he'll be able to understand you. Besides, I'm not telling you to give a lecture. Just… show him some of the basic stuff."

A soft bang coming from the entryway cut off their discussion, and they could hear the rapid pounding of feet heading their way.

"We're home!" Kazuya exclaimed with buzzing energy. He quickly shook off his light jacket and handed it to his mother, who placed it on the coat hook.

"Welcome back," Miyu replied, a smile appearing in response to his enthusiasm, "How was the park?"

"Fun! Big brother pushed me on the swings!" Kazuya informed her before his attention was diverted. He looked at the table where he could smell the mouth-watering scent of food. His stomach growled in hunger and Kazuya cheered when he saw what was for dinner. It was his favorite: fried rice.

"Wash your hands first!" Miyu reminded her son before he could dart straight towards the food.

In response, Kazuya quickly left the room and ran towards a sink to wash his hands as fast as possible. He wanted to start eating already.

At the same moment, Naoya entered the dining room calmly with his hands already washed. He walked to the table and took a seat across from his uncle. He would wait for the entire family to gather before eating.

"Welcome home," Miyu greeted Naoya with a warm smile.

A look of wonder flashed across Naoya's face for a millisecond before vanishing. Even though he had heard those same words everyday for the past three months, he had still not grown used to it. To reunite with not only his brother, but also his mother was too miraculous. Naoya was guaranteed to meet his younger brother in every life, but he had given up on his mother and father. Yet right in front of him, the soul of his mother was alive.

Naoya returned the smile softly and replied, "I'm home."

Miyu gave her husband a sharp look and silently encouraged him to start a conversation with Naoya. It was the perfect moment for them to get closer. He had to start speaking before Kazuya returned and took all of Naoya's attention.

Looking highly uncomfortable, he looked away from his wife's piercing gaze and cleared his throat to push away the awkwardness that hung between himself and his nephew.

The noise caught Naoya's attention and he immediately focused on him. Saying nothing, Naoya analyzed his uncle, noting the look of hesitance on his face. It wasn't unusual. The two of them barely spoke to each other, after all.

His uncle cleared his throat a second time before asking the one question that would pave the path for the formulation of Naoya's plan to make Kazuya the King of Bel and fight against God.

"Naoya, do you like computers?"

* * *

 **A/N: How did Naoya become a genius programmer and devise his plan? Well, his uncle introduced the computer to him and then everything fell into place.**


	6. Mother IV

**_03-4: Miyu Minegishi_**

It was the first day of the New Year, but unlike the ones before, it was not spent in celebration. Even with the walls to protect them from the freezing wind, the air was still frigid inside the church.

Miyu watched her husband converse with a guest and thank them for attending the funeral before moving on to the next person. Looking away, she saw the portraits of her dead sister-in-law and brother-in-law above the caskets. They were smiling happily in the pictures.

"Mommy?" Kazuya called as he tugged the hand he was holding onto, "What does 'dead' mean?"

Crouching down to reach her son's height, Miyu showed a sorrowful smile. She stroked his head gently before answering, "'Dead' means that the person is gone. We won't be able to see them ever again."

"So uncle and aunty are gone forever?" he asked with a cute frown on his lips.

Miyu only nodded to confirm his words, and silently observed how the information naturally clicked in his mind. She knew that Kazuya understood.

"Oh… That's sad," Kazuya commented softly, "Saying bye-bye is always sad."

"It is," Miyu agreed, stroking his head one more time, relishing his warmth. It was unlike the cold weather, the cold church, and the cold corpses…

"Miyu," a masculine voice spoke to her, and she stood back up to face her husband. "Do you still remember my brother's son?"

"It was… Naoya, wasn't it?" she replied once she could recall the child's name, "The last time we saw him was when he was still a baby. It's been ten years since then…"

"We're his closest relatives now," he informed her before asking, "Since both of his parents' have passed away, we should take him in."

"Of course," Miyu said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Naoya will always be welcome in our house."

"Mommy, daddy," Kazuya interrupted them and they looked down at him, "What are you talking about?"

"Kazuya, what do you think about getting an older brother?" her husband asked straightforwardly. It was important that both children got along with each other.

"…Big brother?" Kazuya repeated in confusion, tilting his head slightly to the right.

"Yes. Your cousin lost both his mommy and daddy, so he's very sad. He will come live with us and we will take care of him. He'll be your big brother."

A pensive look crossed the child's face before he nodded with a small smile on his face. "Okay," he told his parents, "I'll take care of big brother so that he won't be sad anymore!"

His parents looked at each other in relief. It was good that Kazuya was not averse to adding a new member to their family.

"Alright, I'll tell the others our decision," Miyu's husband informed her before he walked back towards the other relatives.

While waiting for him to do so, Miyu's attention was caught by the hushed conversation between two women. She didn't recognize them.

"That child hasn't cried once since he was told that his parents died," one of them spoke quietly to the other.

"I wonder what's wrong with him," the other replied with a frown, "He hasn't said a single word since. Maybe he's in shock?"

Miyu followed their gazes and quickly found the object of their scrutiny. It was a boy, sitting alone in the corner of the room. His face was expressionless as he observed the people who had attended the funeral. There were no obvious signs of his sadness.

Based on his silver-grey hair and red eyes, the boy was Naoya; 'the tragic child' that everyone whispered about.

No one dared to approach the boy, instead giving him a lot of space to himself, but Miyu decided that she should talk to him; to at least inform Naoya that they were willing to take him in. She had to make sure that he wasn't against it.

"Kazuya, sweetie, I want you to go to daddy, okay?" Miyu told her son, "I need to go talk with your big brother."

Obediently, Kazuya nodded in understanding. "Take away his pain, mommy," he told her, "You're good at making people feel better."

"I will," she promised, and Kazuya smoothly zipped through the throng of people to reach his father.

Making sure that her son was fine on his own first, she then headed towards her nephew. As she was the only one to confront the boy, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Naoya's eyes instantly found her figure, and Miyu thought she saw his eyes widen in shock.

Finally reaching him, Miyu kneeled down for the second time in the day and softly introduced herself, "Hello, Naoya. I'm your aunt, Miyu Minegishi. Your father was my husband's brother."

Naoya's face seemed to pale as his breathing became shallower and more rapid. Although he never looked away from her, it was as though he was not actually looking at Miyu, but at something only he could see.

Worried that she had said something wrong, Miyu hesitated to continue speaking. Murmuring lowly, she offered the usual condolences, "…I'm sorry for you loss."

To her dismay, Naoya's eyes seemed to have taken a shiny sheen to it. Was he going to start crying? Perhaps she shouldn't have spoken, after all.

It was too late to turn back, though, so Miyu quickly pushed through and explained his circumstance with her family, "Naoya, do you have anywhere to live now? If you want, you can come live with me. My husband and I would welcome you any time. We even have a three year old son who's excited to meet you. What do you think?"

After a few minutes of silence, Miyu frowned in concern at his lack of response. She slowly brought a hand up to his cheek. "…Naoya?"

He flinched back, and Miyu snatched her hand back. Apologizing for touching him, Miyu realized that it probably wasn't the right time to ask him about his placement in a new family. He had just lost both of his parents. She doubted that he would want to talk about joining a new one so soon. What he needed was comfort. He needed to know that he wasn't alone and that he would still be loved.

Carefully, Miyu enclosed Naoya in a hug as though he was made of glass and was relieved to find that he did not flinch away this time. With his face buried into her neck, it felt as though the world suddenly came to a still and Miyu felt oddly peaceful. Unintentional words slipped through her mouth and Miyu felt a deep affection for the boy in her arms, "I'm here now. It's okay to cry."

With shaking hands, Naoya hesitantly returned to hug before growing bolder as he gripped the back of her black clothes tightly. His embrace was desperate and after a few minutes, a dry sob finally escaped Naoya's lips.

" _Mother_ ," Naoya choked out. The raw emotion in his voice was filled with so much anguish, and Miyu could feel her own tears forming in her eyes. She pictured her sister-in-law and felt a new wave of sadness. Naoya wasn't a cold-hearted child. He truly loved his mother with all his heart.

* * *

 **A/N: Naoya doesn't cry for his dead parents, he weeps for his first mother: Eve. Of course, Miyu doesn't know that.**


End file.
